The Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO) was proposed by Dr. Rodolfo P. Gonzalez of the Philippine Medical Association and officially established in 1956 at the Third Meeting of the Southeast Asian Medical Confederation. The first CMAAO Congress was held in Tokyo in 1959. At that time there were member medical associations in eleven countries Australia, Burma, the Republic of China, Iran, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand, all of which attended. In the Congress, Late Dr. Taro Takemi, then president of the Japan Medical Association, was appointed as the next president of CMAAO, to succeed Dr. Gonzalez. And the official CMAAO headquarters was established in Manila, in the Philippines. The second CMAAO Congress was held in Queson in 1961.

Dr. Takemi subsequently served for four successive terms and contributed actively to the organization. In homage to the contributions made by Dr. Takemi in CMAAO and his achievements in global health care, the Taro Takemi Memorial Oration was established at the 16th CMAAO Congress held in Indonesia in 1989, and it has subsequently been held at each Congress. In 1991, the Takemi family and the Japan Medical Association each donated about ten thousand US dollars to establish the Takemi Memorial Fund at the 17th CMAAO Congress held in Hong Kong. The first oration was on ''Health Insurance Trends in the 1990s'' and presented by Late Dr. Haruto Haneda, then president of the Japan Medical Association. Subsequent speakers have been selected from the country hosting the CMAAO Congress. Presently, the Takemi Memorial Oration is the only established academic lecture that is held by CMAAO.

The CMAAO Congress and Midterm Council Meetings are held in alternate years and hosted by each member medical association. In addition to the Taro Takemi Memorial Oration, an academic symposium is held during the congressional and council meetings. A relevant and appropriate theme for the symposium is selected and information is exchanged between member medical associations.

II. Measures to Promote CMAAO Activities

Since its establishment in 1956, the objective of CMAAO activities as stated in its constitution has been to promote academic exchange and cultivate ties of friendship between each member medical association. However, in practice, these objectives have been difficult to realize due to various factors such as differences between the health system of different countries and disparities in health standards. In addition, one major shortcoming is that basic policies have not tended to be reviewed in accordance with the socio-political changes of the time.

In this respect, the 18th CMAAO Congress that was held in Malacca, Malaysia in 1993 served as a major turning point in the history of the confederation. Based on a growing awareness among the member medical associations of the need to strengthen the overall activities of CMAAO, a special committee in charge of planning and finances was established. The committee reviewed the confederation's role in medical ethics, health care quality, the physician exchange program, and submitted a report on measures to strengthen the institutional aspects of the confederation. Based on this report, activities were launched and measures to address the financial difficulties of the organization were implemented. Specific measures included moving the secretariat from Manila to Malaysia. In addition, an executive committee was established to review and promote continuing medical education (CME), health insurance, and other CMAAO activities.

At the CMAAO Congress held in India in 1995, the debate focused on constitutional revisions that were required to enable the Hong Kong Medical Association to remain in CMAAO following the return of Hong Kong to China, and the constitution was revised accordingly. Furthermore, the China Medical Association changed its name to the Taiwan Medical Association, an action that was also unanimously approved by the Congress.

The objective of the 20th CMAAO Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1997 was to reorganize the basic organizational framework of the confederation based on the comprehensive recommendations submitted by the Ad-hoc committee meeting hosted by the JMA and held in Tokyo in April of that same year. The main items that were passed by the 20th Congress were revisions of the constitution and bylaws, clearly defined organizational objectives and functions, especially revisions related to proceedings and finances, and measures to improve administration. In addition, the offices of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Treasurer were newly created and the secretariat was moved to the Medical Association of Thailand. The Takemi Memorial Fund, which was established for the Taro Takemi Memorial Oration, was removed from CMAAO's secretariat and placed under the management of the Japan Medical Association.

The 21st CMAAO Congress was held in New Zealand in 1999 and the secretariat was moved to the New Zealand Medical Association under the newly appointed Secretary General, Dr. Phillips of the Australian Medical Association. The 36th Midterm Council Meeting hosted by the JMA was held in Tokyo in September 2000 and Dr. Hoshi of the Japan Medical Association was appointed as Secretary General to succeed Dr. Phillips who resigned midterm, and the secretariat shifted to the Japan Medical Association. Dr. Chan of the Hong Kong Medical Association was elected as the Treasurer.

Dr. Linehan of the New Zealand Medical Association was elected as the Chairperson to succeed Dr. Echavez of the Philippine Medical Association at the 22nd CMAAO Congress held in Taiwan in 2001. Dr. Hoshi of the Japan Medical Association was re-elected as the Secretary General and the secretariat has remained at the Japan Medical Association.

CMAAO's website was created in May 2002 to help to further the exchange of information between member medical associations.